Custom Apps vs. Template Apps: What to choose?

Custom Apps vs. Template Apps: What to choose?

When you are ready to have your on-demand app developed, one of the things you will have to decide is whether your wish to have a custom built app or whether you would like to have a template built app. With a custom app, all the design and coding is done from the ground up. It is made specifically to suit the needs of your business and no other business is going to have that coding. With a template app, your app will be designed using a template – It will still have elements of your unique branding such as colour schemes and artwork, but other businesses will be using the same template. App templates work in much the same way for apps as sites like WordPress do for websites.

So what are the factors in deciding whether to choose a custom app or a template? Two of the biggest factors are going to be cost and functionality.

Cost of template vs. custom

For many types of the businesses, the choice may simply come down to cost. As you might expect, a custom built app is going to be considerably more expensive than an app that has been built using a template.

Compare it custom suits vs. off the rack suits. Off the rack suits are mass produced and many buyers can buy from a single design. This drives down the price. If you want a custom suit however, it is made to your exact measurements – height, shoulders, inseam, etc. The price is going to be much higher, but the suit is going to fit you perfectly.

The same idea can be applied to apps. If your business has very specific requirements that are unique to your business, then you may need a custom app – but that is going to drive up the price.

Functionality of template vs. custom

As mentioned, if your business has very unique requirements in terms of functionality, then a custom app may be the way to go. Keep in mind however, that app templates do have A LOT of functionality features.

A template app will allow for sending alerts, uploading photos, connecting buyers and sellers, payment gateways and dozens of other actions. So for many businesses, a template app will do just fine for functionality.

If however, you have proprietary functions that you wish the app to perform, then it may be necessary to invest the extra cash for a custom app.

How much does uniqueness matter?

If you opt for a template built app, you will do so knowing that your app design is not completely unique – but how much does that matter? Going back to our example of purchasing a suit – if you buy a suit off the rack, you know that somewhere there is somebody out there that has the same suit as you. But that doesn’t mean you can add your own accessories to come up with your own look!

So how much does uniqueness matter when it comes to app design? That really depends on your business. A major bank for example, would only use propriety coding for their app since security and original branding would be critically important. An on-demand dog walking app, on the other hand might find it more beneficial to get a less expensive template-app that serves all the needs of the business and use the money saved for advertising to get new customers.

Ultimately whether you choose a custom built app or a template built app is going to be up to you. But if you’d like additional guidance in making that decision, the team at Cellflare is here to help. Contact us today if you would like to discuss your mobile app needs.